Elizabeth, NJ · Updated Oct 2026

What a Elizabeth home costs each year

Property tax, water, trash and energy from public rates. Look up your address to make it yours, and see how to pay less.

Suggestions as you type come from Google; the lookup uses free public map services to find who serves it. Not stored unless you save your house.

Example · a Elizabeth house

$14,446a year · $1,204 a month

Starts at $486,814 of value before exemptions. Typical use.

Property tax$9,819
2.017% of $486,814
Electricity$1,841
558 kWh a month $1,841
Water and sewer$1,369
6,000 gallons a month on New Jersey American Water: water $90, sewer $24 a month
Trash$0
Your own cans, city collection, $0 a month
Home insurance$1,417
Typical premium $1,417

A typical Elizabeth house costs about $14,500 a year: $9,820 property tax and charges, $1,370 water and sewer, $0 trash, $1,840 electricity, $1,420 home insurance. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.

Rates checked Oct 22, 2026. Insurance: what you enter, or a typical premium until you do. Sources are listed at the bottom.

Ways to pay less

Nothing here applies to every house automatically. These are worth checking:

ANCHOR property tax relief application deadline
The deadline for the 2025 ANCHOR application is November 2, 2026.
How: See the NJ Division of Taxation ANCHOR page.

Money dates

Feb 1, May 1, Aug 1, Nov 1in 88 daysProperty taxes are due quarterly, with a ten-day grace period.

Who serves this house

Water: New Jersey American Water; Rate Schedule A-1 for Service Area 2 (former Elizabethtown Water Company).
Property tax: 2.02% of value; 2025 general tax rate, Elizabeth City (Union County)
Garbage: City of Elizabeth; The city's 2026 trash and recycling calendar lists garbage days: Mondays and Thursdays for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd wards, Tuesdays and Fridays for the 4th, 5th and 6th wards.
Sewer: City of Elizabeth sewer utility; Elizabeth bills sewer user charges quarterly in arrears.
Electricity: PSE&G; PSE&G's electric tariff lists the City of Elizabeth in the territory it serves.

Pay or manage your bills

Other NJ cities

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How these numbers are made

Property tax: the state's 2025 general tax rate for Elizabeth City, 2.017 per $100 of assessed value (city, county, school, library and open space combined; the 2026 split was not found), applied to the 2026 average residential assessment of $486,814.
Water: New Jersey American Water Rate Schedule A-1 (Service Area 2, BPU docket WR26010010, effective Sept 15, 2026): $24.00 a month plus $10.3166 + $0.5330 purchased-water + $0.0636 special-program + $0.5561 lead-line charge = $11.4693 per 1,000 gallons; typical 5,743 gallons a month from the BPU order.
Sewer: Elizabeth's ordinance effective July 1, 2015 (the latest found): $3.82 a quarter / 3 plus $4.000 per 100 cubic feet; the page uses it per CCF. Garbage: city collection, no separate fee found in the city's calendar.
Electricity: PSE&G Rate Schedule RS, same tariff and weighting as other PSE&G cities. Gas is not modeled: PSE&G's gas tariff does not list Elizabeth. Insurance: New Jersey 2022 NAIC average.
Modelling: garbage is city-collected with no fee listed in the calendar (paid through property tax is an inference); twice-weekly by ward; tax rate is per $100 of assessed value; sewer volumetric $4.000 per 100 cubic feet (ordinance effective July 1, 2015); water $24 a month 5/8-inch meter billed monthly in arrears; 2022 is the latest NAIC data seen.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Elizabeth compares

A typical Elizabeth house against the 41 New Jersey cities we cover, using the same default numbers as the total above.

Per year	Elizabeth	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	2.02%	2.66%	lower than 31 of the other 38 New Jersey cities we cover
Water	$1,078	$771	higher than 29 of the other 40 New Jersey cities we cover
Sewer and utility-bill fees	$291	$600	lower than 21 of the other 22 New Jersey cities we cover
Trash	$0	$0	lower than 3 of the other 29 New Jersey cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$1,841	$3,056	lower than 40 of the other 40 New Jersey cities we cover
Home insurance	$1,417	$1,417	in the middle of 40 other New Jersey cities we cover
Total	$14,446	$16,741	lower than 34 of the other 40 New Jersey cities we cover

Cities bill differently (some put trash on the tax bill, some cover more services), so a higher number isn't necessarily worse. The property tax rate is compared instead of dollars because house values differ.

Questions to ask your candidates

Each one starts from a number above. Any candidate can answer them.

1. Property tax rate

The fact: Elizabeth's property tax rate is 2.02%, lower than 31 of the other 38 New Jersey cities we cover. The rate adds up every agency on the bill, not only the city.

Ask: "Property tax in Elizabeth is 2.02%, lower than 31 of the other 38 New Jersey cities we cover. What should that money pay for first, and would you change anything about how it is set?"

2. Sewer and utility-bill fees

The fact: Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here come to about $291 a year, lower than 21 of the other 22 New Jersey cities we cover. Some cities bill sewer on the property tax bill instead, which is not counted here.

Ask: "Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here cost about $291 a year, lower than 21 of the other 22 New Jersey cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

3. Trash

The fact: Trash pickup here costs about $0 a year for the standard cart, lower than 3 of the other 29 New Jersey cities we cover. Where trash is billed through the tax bill or a separate hauler, it is not counted here.

Ask: "Trash pickup here costs about $0 a year for the standard cart, lower than 3 of the other 29 New Jersey cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything about the service or the price?"

4. Electricity and gas

The fact: Electricity and gas for a typical house here cost about $1,841 a year, lower than 40 of the other 40 New Jersey cities we cover. Rates are set mostly by the utility and the state.

Ask: "Electricity and gas here cost about $1,841 a year for a typical house, lower than 40 of the other 40 New Jersey cities we cover. Which parts of that can the city influence, and what would you do about them?"

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Common questions about Elizabeth house costs

What is the property tax rate in Elizabeth?

About 2.02% of the value before exemptions a year (2025 general tax rate, Elizabeth City (Union County)), plus flat charges on the same bill.

How much is property tax on a $500,000 house in Elizabeth?

About $10,085 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions.

How much is the water bill in Elizabeth?

About $114 a month for water and sewer at typical use (6,000 gallons a month) on New Jersey American Water.

How much does trash pickup cost in Elizabeth?

$0 a month for a house.

When is property tax due in Elizabeth?

Feb 1, May 1, Aug 1, Nov 1: Property taxes are due quarterly, with a ten-day grace period.

How much does a house in Elizabeth cost to run each year?

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